2. Writing Process

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2. Writing Process

• Fundamental Writing Skills
• Instructor Hsin-Hsin Cindy Lee, Ph.D.

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What is a writing process?

• Every writer goes through some kind of journey
  when they write.
• The final perfect work of your writing is the
  destination of this journey.
• To reach the destination, the journey often
  involves several steps.
• Different techniques are needed on each step.

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Why do you need a writing process?

• It can help you to organize your thoughts.
• It can help you to avoid frustration and waste of
  time.
• It can help you to use time productively and
  efficiently.
• It can ensure the quality of your final work.

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The Writing Process

• Prewriting
• Planning
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing

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Prewriting

• Certain strategies commonly groups under the
  heading prewriting can help you get started and
  develop your ideas.
• Although you may not need all of them in all
  writing assignments, learning how to use them
  gives you a box of tools to select the best tools
  for a writing job.

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Prewriting Strategies

• Free writing
• Brainstorming
• Clustering
• Researching

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Free Writing

• In freewriting, you write without stopping,
  letting your ideas tumble forth.
• You do not concern yourself with the fundamentals
  of writing, such as punctuation and spelling.
• Freewriting is an adventure into your memory and
  imagination.
• The key is non-stopping writing.

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Brainstorming

• Brainstorming features key words and phrases that
  relate in various ways to the subject area or the
  specific topic you are concerned.
• One effective to get started is to ask the
  big-six questions
• Who? What? Where?
• When? Why? How?
• The key word for brainstorming is listing.

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Clustering

• Write your topic down in the middle of the page
  and draw a double circle around it.
• What do you associate with the topic?
• Single-bubble other ideas based on your
  association radiating out from the hub that
  contains the topic.

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Cluster-Example

• Clustering is related to mind-mapping.
• Please get to the website below to learn more
  information about mind-mapping.
• http//members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative
  /Mindmap/

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Researching

• Gather ideas from references.
• Find references on the Internet, in the
  bookstore, in the library
• Locate and evaluate research materials.
• Conducting interviews.
• Ask peoples opinions.
• Do you agree with them? Why? Why not?

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(2) Planning Writing an outline

• An outline is a pattern for showing the
  relationship of ideas.
• The two main outline forms are
• sentence outline
• topic outline
• The topic outline (each entry is a key word or
  phrase) is commonly used for paragraphs.

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Planning - Example

• Outline for an essay
• I. Introduction
• A. Grab attention
• B. State thesis
• II. Body
• A. Build points
• B. Develop ideas
• C. Support main claim
• III. Conclusion
• A. Reemphasize main
• idea

• Outline for a short article
• Topic sentence
• Major support 1
• Minor support
• Minor support
• Details or examples
• Details or examples
• Major support 2
• Minor support
• Minor support
• Details or examples
• Details or examples

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(3) Drafting Writing your first draft

• Once you have completed your topic sentence and
  outline, you may begin writing your paragraph.
• The initial writing is called the first, or
  rough, draft.
• At this stage, you pay close attention to your
  outline and compose your ideas based on it.
• At this stage, you make sure that the basic
  organization of your draft works well.

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(4) Revising

• The first draft suggests there will be many more
  drafts or revisions.
• What we do beyond the first draft is revising and
  editing.
• We make efforts to our composition to ensure a
  quality and satisfying result.

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(4) Check List for Revising - (CLUESS)

• Coherence
• Did you use appropriate transitional words?
• e.g. first, second, third to indicate time
  order
• Language
• Did you avoid using cliché?
• Unity
• Did you begin with a good topic sentence?
• Emphasis
• Did you stress the important ideas by position,
  repetition or isolation?
• Support
• Did you give relevant and logical examples,
  reasons, details to support your main and
  supporting ideas?
• Sentences
• Were your sentences complete?
• Did you use different types of sentence?

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(5) Editing (COPS)

• The final stage of the writing process involves a
  careful examination of your work.
• You look for the following problems
• Capitalization
• Omissions
• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Revising and Editing may happen at the same time!

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Writing Process Worksheet

• For each paper, please complete the Writing
  Process Worksheet.
• You may copy the next page in your own paper.
• Submit the worksheet with your assignment.

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Writing Process Worksheet

• Title Name
  Student No.
• Due Date
• Assignment In the space below, write whatever
  you need to know about your assignment, including
  information about the topic, audience, pattern of
  writing, length and whether to include a rough
  draft or revised drafts.
• Stage One Explore Free writing, brainstorm,
  cluster, or take notes as directed by your
  instructor. Use separate paper if you need more
  space.
• Stage Two Organize Write a topic sentence or
  thesis label the subject and treatment parts.
• Write an outline or a structured list.
• Stage Three Write On separate paper, write an
  then revise your paragraph or essay as many
  time4s as necessary for coherence, language,
  unity, emphasis, support, and sentences (CLUESS).
  Read your work aloud to hear and correct any
  grammatical errors or awkward-sound sentences.
• Edit any problems in fundamentals, such as
  capitalization, omissions, punctuation, and
  spelling (COPS).

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Reference At a Glance by Lee Brandon